Akram Raslan, of Syrian origin, is a cartoonist, illustrator and human rights defender who was arbitrarily arrested on 2 October 2012 at his workplace in Hama by military intelligence agents suspected of having published cartoons critical of President Bashar al-Assad. He had contributed more than 300 editorial cartoons to various outlets, including Al-Fedaa newspaper, Al-Jazeera’s website and his own blog. After his arrest, conflicting reports circulated about his fate, with some sources suggesting he had been sentenced to life imprisonment. Later, in September 2015, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights released a statement confirming that Raslan had died in 2013 under torture in Syrian detention, having been transferred to a hospital as his health deteriorated. Reports indicate he died in 2013, less than a year after his arrest, though the Syrian authorities never publicly confirmed or denied the circumstances.